Self Actualization ...

Self-actualization has been studied in depth in various psychology theories, often in slightly different ways. One of the definitions of Self Actualization is "The motivation to realize one's own maximum potential and possibilities. It is considered to be the master motive or the only real motive, all other motives being its various forms".

A more explicit definition of self-actualization according to Abraham Maslow is "intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately of what is the organism itself...self-actualization is growth-motivated rather than deficiency-motivated". Maslow considered self-actualizing people to possess "an unusual ability to detect the spurious, the fake, and the dishonest in personality, and in general to judge the people correctly and efficiently."

Common Traits amongst people who have reached self-actualization according to Maslow  

Realistic 
They embrace reality and facts rather than denying truth.

Self Acceptance 
They "can accept their own human nature in the stoic style, with all its shortcomings,"are similarly accept-ant of others, and generally lack prejudice.

Spontaneity, Simplicity, Naturalness 
Spontaneous in his inner life. Thoughts and impulses are unhampered by convention. His ethics are autonomous, and Self-actualizing individuals are motivated to continual growth. 

Focus of Problem Centering 
They are "focused on problems outside themselves and are devoted to duty. 

Detachment: The Need for Privacy 
Thy can be alone and not be lonely, are unflappable, and retains dignity amid confusion and personal misfortunes, all the while remaining objective.

Autonomy: Independent of Culture and Environment 
The SA person has a fresh rather than stereotyped appreciation of people and the basic good in life.

Frequent Peak experiences 
"Feelings of limitless horizons opening up to the vision, the feeling of being simultaneously more powerful and also more helpless than one ever was before, the feeling of ecstasy and wonder and awe, the loss of placement in time and space with, finally, the conviction that something extremely important and valuable had happened, so that the subject was to some extent transformed and strengthened even in his daily life by such experiences." -- Abraham Maslow

Creativity

Imperfections

They are painfully aware of their own imperfections and joyfully aware of their own growth process. They are impatient with themselves when stuck and feel real life pain as a result. 

Values 
The SA person is realistically human due to a philosophical acceptance of self, human nature, social life, physical reality, and nature. 

We may wonder how this abstract concept of self actualization/ growth motivated living might relate to our day to day living. This below extract from a couple of articles I read on Caterpillar-Butterfly transformation analogy is how I am tempted to interpret the concept of self actualization and synonymous concepts such as self realization or self understanding.

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the rest of the world calls butterfly! 

When we replace old beliefs with new ones we grow--and eliminate the risk of being stunted. Since belief is cause it determines the circumstances we attract into our lives and so it is natural and normal and healthy that circumstances also be destroyed and created fresh: eg: a marriage ends, we become ill, we lose our job etc.

When we resist these little "deaths" we miss the opportunity they provide for personal transformation. However, when we understand that these "end of the world" moments are pivotal to our life purpose we can make the leap towards knowing and fulfilling that purpose.

A caterpillar event occurs and we have the choice to view it from the caterpillar's perspective  or from the butterfly's perspective. From the butterfly's perspective a disaster is not a disaster at all but the necessary and wonderful adventure into a bigger life--the butterfly life. But in order for that adventure to take place we must develop such a deep level of trust and faith in the unknown that we leap into it willingly and enthusiastically and tell our confidence and courage to simply catch up with us later. 

(Side-note from the TV serial LOST) I am again tempted to relate this to the interpretation of how the disaster(plane crash) motivated the survivors to be brave and find their purpose in order to survive by viewing the event from the butterfly perspective.

 Changing, and challenging ourselves is what that keeps us alive and growing. It’s always an easier option to go with the status quo, but if we keep on doing that, our capacity contracts.

The great thing about life is that we can invent ourselves over and over. We can continually discover new skills and new areas of experience as we go through life. It’s sometimes a struggle, but it leads to a vibrant and fulfilled life.

 It is frightening to leave the safe ground where the caterpillar dwells and to enter a cocoon of unknowingness. But the reward, the sweet reward ...

 

 ... is to discover your capability for flight ;)! 

Mystic(al) musings ...

Draft from an earlier day

Finally making it's way ...! 

Day 3 - Mystic(al) Sea Port

Pure Enchantment !

Starting afresh today we were delighted by a random sweet gesture by our waitress. Me and my friend then headed to the museum Mystic Sea Port. Being my first exposure to a nautical museum I would say this place was indeed mystical as the name suggests. To get the best out of this place, I would suggest visiting this place during a weekday to avoid the crowd and explore the place in great detail at a comfortable pace . Which is what we did and I felt totally enchanted at the end of the day. I felt I could relate to this place a lot and couldn't help but compare the whale ship described below to present modern day ships I had sailed on as a child with my dad.
                                                                                 
          

Charles W Morgan

We first started exploring the Charles W Morgan whale-ship built in 1841, which is currently being renovated as part of a 4 year project and is expected to be set to sail again in 2 years time . The entire process of blubber extraction right from capture of whales to boiling the fat in a furnace(to extract oil) was explained in depth by the museum guide. Throughout my tour of this ship I could not help but recollect fond memories of sailing in passenger ships with dad and family, and draw comparisons to differences/similarities on how this ship had been built and operated. The major striking difference was that this being a sail boat did not need an engine room, fuel etc . It was indeed fascinating to learn how the sails were hoisted and how such a big ship was operated using sails . The bottom deck had rooms for captain, first mate, second mate etc and their wives. Seeing these rooms made me reminisce the time I had spent in my dad's cabin/ room during long voyages at sea.

Next we got to see how the printing press functioned in the 19 Th. century.  The museum guide patiently explained the entire process despite her busy schedule. It was interesting to observe how this process has evolved leading to present modern printers which has simplified the experience of printing to such a great extent.

The process of printing explained in detail by these pictures below. 

Wooden block print form used to print a picture

Rolling the ink

Pressing to get the imprint

Pulling the tray to get the printed paper

Lead characters placed in the required order

The Lead Character Set

               

Fun fact from documentary "Ancient Inventions" by Terry Jones, the Koreans were the ones who had invented the idea of using movable lead pieces for printing words on paper.

Final Output

As I type this blog post, changing colors, changing fonts, setting Italics and Bold on characters so easily within fraction of seconds, I cant help but imagine how tedious and meticulous it would be for me to do the same during the 19 th century.

Truly grateful to technology, indeed I am !

On a lighter note, Can you guess the amount of time it would have taken to create the printed paper on the left ? ;)

Though we missed the planetarium show by a whisker, we got to see the sailor's navigation room with models explaining these concepts on navigation.

• Round earth to flat map
• Direction n speed
• Measuring an angle
• Finding latitude n longtitude

Some more things that we checked out that made this museum visit a worth while one of a kind experience ...

Making of Barrels

                     The instructions in these pills were hilarious. They read something like "Consume until symptoms go away". It was evident that the doctors at that time were not aware of the concept of overdose. Also most of these had a considerable amount of alcohol in them.

Sailor's Drug Store

The rectangular box below is the water tank, and this engine used to be hand-driven by workers. Fire-fighting back then seems indeed strenuous besides it's risky nature.

19 th Century Fire Engine

                             

Horse Carriage Ride

Sailor's Reading room for recreation

A cute lighthouse

                            

We ended the mystical museum visit with an enchanting ride on a steam ship which is the last coal fired steam ship since 1908 consuming about 1000 pounds of coal per day ..



  Serene scenes from the ship ride--->                  

  The gentle ripples the steam ship created, made the water beneath feel like as if I was riding on a violet velvety satin cloth !

Must say, the detailed insight of the lives of sailors of the 19 Th. century that I got from this museum also made me better understand/imagine how my dad's life would have been while he was a sailor!  

 

We ended the day (true to every word in this sentence), by having the best pizza ever our lives at Mystic Pizza !

Fun Fact: A Julia Roberts movie was screened at this place Mystic Pizza

More colorful posts from the trip next ;) !...

Nurturing Creativity and the Gita

Frankly I have been appalled at the feedback I got for some of my doodling done in my free time out of interest. It was news to me that a piece of writing I write, or a picture I draw, or a video I put together out of love for my brother, all as a release of self expression could have an immense effect on the emotions of strangers and people close to me alike. Some of the feedback made me understand to a certain extent what this below quotation meant.

                             "The pen is mightier than the sword" ~  Edward Bulwer-Lytton


Comments like these also made me curious to drill in and research a little deeper to find out what exactly did the word "Creativity" mean.

"Superb vidya,U have a lot of creativity and humor in you" 
" You have got good talent, don't waste it" 
" You need to showcase your talents "
" You think different " or " You are different " ~ from conversations in projects/ social gatherings 
" You are damn good at this " 
 " I did feel a tear trickle down my cheek, but I felt some sort of unexplained positivity in me ". ~ comment from a blog post
" Good one. Had a good laugh. Now your mokai  poem touches a weak nerve somewhere "
" A very good strength of yours is that you think outside the box. You should never loose that ability"! ~ comment from my colleague during a review meeting

These are just some of the comments from friends, family and colleagues I have heard so far. They are all genuine and in a way they aim at motivating me/ driving me in making good use or expressing whatever people see in me as different or as talent. But there is a catch. What exactly does making good use mean. Or what exactly does it mean to "not waste it" . The last comment in particular from my colleague stressing upon to not loose this ability could in-fact put any sane person under pressure if not interpreted wisely.

It is indeed fascinating to read about the different schools of thought that associate creativity to different aspects of human life. A few causes that attribute to creativity are ( click on them if interested to read more )

1. Love
2. Mental Ilness
3. Being Left Handed
4. Forcing Creativity

Above all, it was very disturbing to come across a lot of negative attribution to creative types like writers , poets and artists to be stereo typed as depressed loners or romantics.

I agree that there is a fair chance of getting tired sometimes when so many ideas/ thoughts hit you and in not being able to have the energy or time to put all of it down to paper/fruition. Or even getting frustrated sometimes when a seemingly brilliant thought hits you at an inopportune moment only to loose the flow later when you have time to work on it. I am sure most of us would have felt this way at some point in time. But when this happens it is entirely up to us to either get overwhelmed and negative ....

or to be positive and create a phycological distance with these thoughts and handle them with a different perspective like how Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat Pray Love) narrates in this inspiring TED talk on nurturing creativity.

What touched me most about this video was her concluding sentences that goes something like this.

Don't be afraid! Don't be daunted! Just do your job, whatever that might be. If your job is to dance, do your dance. Continue to show up for your piece of it. If the divine cockeyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed for just one moment through your efforts then Ole. If not, do your dance anyhow. Ole to you nonethless.

I believe it and I feel like we must teach it. Ole to you nonetheless just for the shear human love and stubbornness to keep showing up. 

When I was hearing these sentences all that resonated in my mind was the Bhagavad Gita's concept of Karma Yoga and Lord Krishna's teachings. 

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

This is what I feel like telling the prolific and inspiring writer Elizabeth

A poor attempt at snow Krishna 

"This age old concept has already been taught in ancient India as well, it just needs to be spread and remembered at all times by all generations to come. And yeah, the divine cockeyed genius as you put it in my case has been and will always be the divine lotus eyed all-attractive, most beautiful Lord Krishna ;) ". 

Life Gyan ...

An inspiring quote on my blog :) !

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let us down, probably will. You'll have your heart broken and you'll break others' hearts. You'll fight with your best friend or maybe even fall in love with them, and you'll cry because time is flying by. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, forgive freely, and love like you've never been hurt. Life comes with no guarantees, no time outs, no second chances. you just have to live life to the fullest, tell someone what they mean to you and tell someone off, speak out, dance in the pouring rain, hold someone's hand, comfort a friend, fall asleep watching the sun come up, stay up late, be a flirt, and smile until your face hurts. Don't be afraid to take chances or fall in love and most of all, live in the moment because every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can never get back.

Dancing in the pouring rain, smiling until it hurts :) !

 

 

 

स्मृति ! aka That which is remembered

Reminiscing Crater Lake :)

There was a young woman new to the city

Though she was witty                                                                                   

She knew not many a friendly soul in the city

Then she met a very nice person

Whose friends welcomed her in warm unison
They took her along in their trip to Oregon 
And showed her for no fee
A piece of nature, she had not anticipated to see

The beauty of the scenery

Was a symbol of nature's grand finery

The sense of wonder, upon seeing the lake

Was a joyful memory in time, for her to take                                              

                                                               ~ "True Mocka Artist" Vidya 


While I am in the middle of writing about the recent memorable Boston trip, my mind drifted to the past and the memory of my crater lake visit with a bunch of enthusiastic people came to my mind. Reminiscing it's beauty makes me perceive to some extent the state of mind John Keats should have been while writing the poem A Think of Beauty is a Joy Forever . These thoughts led to an amateur's quick attempt at this above poem :).  

 

Cape Cod musings ...

 Day 2 - Beach via Bike


Enthused by the ghost tour trip yesterday night we started the day visiting the shore of Plymouth Harbor. This shore is the traditional site of disembarkation of Plymouth Rock  and the Mayflower Pilgrims. Note the Plymouth rock engraving of the year 1620 to mark the year the Pilgrims had landed at Plymouth.

                                                 In the background Mayflower Ship Model

Next we headed to watch the whale tours. But as luck would have it, the tour was not operating today. Bummer ! So we chose a back up plan of biking along the Cape Cod Rail Trail to check out the Coast Gaurd Beach and the back up plan turned out to be more awesome . The Cape Cod Rail Trail follows a former railroad right-of-way for 22 miles through the towns of Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet.

We rented bikes from a small local bike shop at Brewster, though I did wish I have been able to bike the trail on my Absolute 2.0 bike instead as the rental bike was no where near my baby . We started biking the trail from Brewster taking a detour at Salt Pond Visitor Center. The state of not knowing what lies ahead but yet being excited about it termed something as "adventure" in mundane words lurked in my mind. We chugged along the way and when we had almost reached the beach shore(which we were not aware of then) we contemplated heading back to be able to return the rental bikes on time. With no 3G signal coverage, we were lucky to meet 2 tourists in the lonely bike trail who enthusiastically gave us the good news that we were only 2 miles away from the place and that the view was definitely worth the effort .  Inspired we continued along the windy mysterious path ...

                                           .... Only to be spell bound by what we saw at the end .

                       

                                                                 Coast Guard Beach


Coast Guard Beach is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore. A favorite among Outer Cape tourists, it is recognized as one of America's top ten beaches, as good as Hawaii or Florida.

Next we had a refreshing break way back at Hot Chocolate Sparrow. A famous chocolate/cafe shop of the locals. Our bike ride back was wonderful. More relaxed with the knowledge that we had enough time to reach the bike shop on time. These following words best describe my thoughts at that moment.  

Soaking in the environment of thick dense trees to the either side of us, tinges of orange/violet/unknown shades of color in some leaves(beautiful they were whether they were on a tree or had fallen to the ground), occasional appearances of ponds with rare glimpses of snow white ducks, coal dark geese, a mystical tunnel, winding roads with just the right amount of steep to make me feel curious, challenged, and above all rewarded !.

Experiencing these thoughts, I returned the bike with my friend and we headed to checkout the lighthouse near Coast Guard Beach by car. A small lighthouse operating though quaint in appearance, we saw. While we were searching for parking amidst dead ends and private homes a small distant wooden chair caught my eye. Curious was I as ever to see why it was placed there and what was lying ahead of it. After dealing with car parking logistics, I scampered towards it. As I approached the chair I realized that it was not one but a pair of wooden chairs . As for what the chairs were facing, am indeed at a loss of words to describe. A mental picture of this place will stay in my memory for sure but I reckoned capturing it in a camera is something that will benefit others who see it as well. Though the latter might not be as good in quality as the former, it is still something ... . 

                                                          

A day well spent !  More on rest of the vacation in further posts:) ! 

Plymouth musings ..

Day 1 - very first day of a going to be memorable road trip along Boston Area ( credits to an enthusiastic friend's attention to details :)

Today has been one of those rare days which begins with no big expectations and ends up making you feel so much wonder for the place you visited. The trip started with unexpected kindness from the enterprise rep who gave us a SUV upgrade for no charge in addition to waiving the additional driver fee .

Plymouth - A gentle introduction to American History

Me and my friend hurried from the airport to the hotel and bought tickets for the Ghost Lantern Tour at Plymouth. The tour is operated by Colonial Lantern company a pioneer in organizing a professionally guided tour narrating the history of this region. More info if interested at: http://lanterntours.com/ .

Frankly, I never knew such tours existed and though I was skeptical in the beginning ended up valuing being a part of the tour . I started the tour with another company and later joined back my friend and the Colonial Lantern  tour guide. Well, am not afraid to admit that I momentarily chickened out at the start of the tour deserting my friend to go by herself, only to join the tour again at a later stage with a brave spirit. I did create some excitement in the group of being "the missing person" in a middle of a cemetery late at night . 

The tour started at the foothill of burial hill.The burial ground founded in the 17 century which is the first Pilgrim burial ground.  This place is very rich in terms of American History and has been a witness of the Pilgrim's lives. The Pilgrims' story of seeking religious freedom has become a central theme of the history and culture of the United States. .Plymouth Colony (sometimes New Plymouth, or Plymouth Bay Colony) formed by Pilgrims was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

                                                    The cemetery during the day 
The tour guide was enthusiastic and dramatic and did a wonderful job at creating a spooky environment/ mood to the audience. Since the group was large I guess I became brave enough to walk amidst the burial ground at night with a Lantern listening to hairy ghost stories. An experience which was truly one of a kind ! Beyond being mere ghost stories, must say this was a wonderful exposure to American History. As part of the tour we got a chance to see the burial ground of several notable Pilgrims and as well listen to many interesting stories such as those of Captain John Smith - the initial surveyor of Plymouth region for settlement.. Grueling stories around Kind Philips's war( one of the earliest Indian wars) in the middle of the night narrated passionately by a local tour guide walking down Leyden Street, (claimed to be the first street in Plymouth Colony).

                                           In the background, first church of Plymouth
A must visit for any one interested in American history etc.And yeah, the ghost tour would definitely be a A Walk to Remember !

Soul-Searching :) ..!

“My own brain is to me the most unaccountable of machinery - always buzzing, humming, soaring roaring diving, and then buried in mud. And why? What's this passion for?”

Today was a great start to the week. I got to attend a "Driving my Career" course I had signed up earlier and as part of the course I got to do an online assessment of my strengths. I was at first skeptical as to how a computer program can assess and analyze my strengths based on the choices I click for a series of multiple choice questions. I must say, I was amazed at how accurate the results were and it proved to be a good validation of the perception I had of myself. Am not sure though if the results were just a coincidence or whether the questionnaire was really an effective one :). 

I used to be this person who always thought that self improvement happens more by analyzing one's weaknesses and striving towards eliminating them. But attending this class made me see the other side/aspect of the coin. I am even tempted to call it the positive approach towards self improvement. Focusing on our strengths and working towards improving them and leveraging them even more at work/life in general makes us positively build upon our existing selves. An approach similar on the lines of this below quote

Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.
- Marcus Aurelius

 

When you are looking in the mirror, you are looking at the problem. But, remember, you are also looking at the solution.

The online assessment amongst other things built up on my self awareness.

• It provided me with a brief shared description of my top 5 themes in rank order.
• A personalized strengths insights, which describes what makes me stand out from others with reference to the 5 themes.   

Below is some excerpts from the report. Am jotting this down here to make a journal of my strengths in this book of my life :)

Learner

People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

What makes you stand out?
Driven by your talents, you are a history buff — that is, someone ardently devoted to studying the past. You link people to events and trace timelines.It’s very likely that you frequently examine the factors leading up to an event. Therein you discover the reasons why things happened the way they did. A number of individuals and/or groups probably appreciate your logical thinking style. By nature, you might accept the challenge of understanding the detailed workings of complicated processes, mechanisms, or plans. To some extent, you enjoy examining mechanisms, processes, ideas, or regulations in detail. Perhaps you can picture in your mind how all of the pieces or steps link together. Instinctively, you customarily figure out what makes each person special. You talk to, observe, or study
individuals who produce nothing less than excellence to identify what inspires them. Unquestionably, you prefer to associate with those who share your passion for taking something good and making it better. Once you understand what drives a person, you can motivate him or her to transform whatever was made better into something utterly superb.Chances are good that you channel your efforts into the task at hand. You persevere until you have gained the knowledge and skills needed to attain a goal. You can toil for many hours to secure your objective. You probably work hardest and most productively at a particular time of day.

Restorative

People who are especially talented in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.

 

What makes you stand out?
Instinctively, you commonly reassure individuals that you notice, value, and appreciate them. You even think about how you can do a better job of showing them that they are truly deserving of your personal attention, interest, and time. It’s very likely that you naturally enjoy hearing what people have to say. You frequently evaluate your listening talents. In the process, you are apt to discover new ways to absorb a lot more information. Chances are good that you derive much joy from starting new projects, jobs, or courses of study. Before moving ahead, you automatically think about the things you need to upgrade, perfect, or do better.

Because of your strengths, you are honest with yourself about yourself. You can admit your shortcomings. You speak frankly about the areas where you need to do things better and more completely than you have done them in the past. By nature, you typically generate inventive ideas for new projects, especially those that require upgrading things. When you are challenged to be an innovative thinker, you feel valued.

Connectedness

People who are especially talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.

What makes you stand out?

Naturally, you accept individuals as they are, not as you want, wish, or expect them to be. You sense that a bond exists between and among all people. This bond extends across time and space, and includes people you know and people you will never meet. The apparent and subtle links among members of the human family influences many of your choices. It’s very likely that you sense you are not all alone in the world. You probably feel linked with every person and living thing. This openness explains why you invite a vast array of people to participate in conversations, activities, social events, or groups. Because of your strengths, you enter contests simply to have fun. In the process, you often find yourself part of something much larger such as building team spirit or raising funds for a worthy cause.

This sense of being linked to other people means a lot more to you than finishing first or claiming an award. Instinctively, you continually seek wisdom from people with whom you have intelligent conversations. You not only listen but also share your thoughts. In the process, you are likely to move beyond concrete facts. Your curiosity draws you to speculate — that is, reflect or wonder — about theories, ideas, or concepts. To keep your mind fresh, you frequently quiz individuals who are equally fascinated with the intangible and abstract aspects of life. Chances are good that you welcome all kinds of people into your circle of friends, family, or acquaintances. You have an ability to bond with individuals without expecting them to conform to your way of thinking, working, or living. You typically revel in the diversity of humankind. You refuse to bemoan the fact that every person, language, or culture is different. You have concluded that human beings are inextricably linked with one another as well as with everything in the cosmos — that is, the universe.

Intellection

People who are especially talented in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.

What makes you stand out?

Instinctively, you relish conversations with people whose vocabulary is as sophisticated as their thinking. Discussing philosophies, theories, or concepts is exhilarating. You love to ask questions and be readily understood. As engaged as you are in the dialogue, you still make a point of pulling together insights so you can use this knowledge later. Chances are good that you have kept conversations centered on ideas since childhood. As a child, you likely listened carefully to discussions among adults. This approach allowed you to join in without rocking the boat — that is, without causing trouble where none was welcome. Today, you continue to listen intently to collect information before adding your ideas, contributing your insights offering your suggestions, or asking your questions. Because of your strengths, you regularly reflect on how you felt about your experiences as they occurred. You usually ponder how you felt afterward, too. Your emotional awareness sharpens your thinking. 

You are doubly blessed: You think with your head and feel with your heart. By nature, you prepare for important conversations or discussions by collecting lots of background information. It is not unusual for you to set aside at least five hours of quiet time each week to consider what you have discovered. You are likely to use this time to expand your thinking. A new piece of material can send you hunting for additional evidence to support your theories, concepts, or proposals. Driven by your talents, you usually are quiet during conversations, taking in everything that is said. You are particularly attentive when intelligent people toss about their ideas, theories, or concepts. Often you acquire more information and gain more insights than the speakers do. When you choose to expound on a topic that interests you or pose pertinent questions, many individuals listen carefully to every word you utter.

Responsibility 

 People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty. 

What makes you stand out?

By nature, you may want people to regard you as trustworthy, dependable, or reliable. Perhaps this yearning motivates you to do whatever you said you would do. It’s very likely that you conduct yourself in an exceptionally mature and orderly fashion even when your teammates, classmates, friends, coworkers, and colleagues are acting childish. Instinctively, you possess an inner drive to attain your high standards of excellence. Satisfying work and a passion for accountability fuel your zeal to do things very carefully. You want others to view you and your work favorably. Chances are good that you might be known as a reliable and dependable person. Perhaps you are motivated to work diligently. In some cases, you cannot rest until you have completed what you told someone you would do. 

Because of your strengths, you are naturally compelled to admit the truth. If someone asked you or told you to intentionally mislead someone, you would reply, “I cannot and I will not do that!” 

भक्ति ! Aka Devotion

Four posts have gone by and how can I resist my temptation to blog about Goddess Andal and her divine implorations to Lord Krishna in the form of tamil poetry. Goddess Andal is an epitome of "Bhakti". The ancient sage Narada from Hindu mythology defines Bhakti as "intense love" for God.

"My Lord, though endless pains afflict me, I will not cease to look for thy mercy." ~ Nammalvar

Though I am not sure how much justice I can do in attempting to describe one of the most extraordinary personalities in the Hindu culture, I am attempting here to give a very brief history borrowing text from several sources. This post is mainly about Goddess Andal who is the only female out of the 12 Alvar saints . Alvar saints in hindu tradition are known to travel from one holy place to another composing and singing poetry out of immense love/ bhakti for their divine beloved Lord Vishnu. Lord Krishna is one incarnation for Lord Vishnu and Goddess Andal's poetry portrays her immense love and yearning for Lord Krishna's divine union. Her compositions exemplify bridal mysticism and include the Tiruppavai and the Nacciyar-Tirumozhi which form part of the Nalayira‑Divyaprabandham. Here goes her simple romantic story.

A devout brahmin named Vishnucitta lived in Villiputtur. One morning, he discovered a cute baby girl with lovely curly hair lying under a tulasi plant in his flower garden. He named her Kothai which in tamil literally means one who has curly hair and 'Godha' in Sanskrit which means one who is dear to the Lord. Kothai grew up in an atmosphere of love and devotion.The love Vishnucitta had for his beloved Lord intensified further in his daughter, and before long she was passionately in love with Lord Krishna.

Entry Gate to Tulasi Maadam where Andal was found

Andal blossomed into a beautiful young woman as she came of marriageable age. When asked to marry, however, she stubbornly refused, saying that she would only agree to marry Sri Ranganatha, the Lord at the great temple town of Srirangam. Vishnucitta despaired, wondering what was to become of his daughter. One night, Lord Ranganatha appeared in his dream and asked that Andal be sent to Him in all her wedding finery. Simultaneously, the Lord appeared before the priests at Srirangam and asked them to prepare for the coming of Andal. Vishnucitta once again was filled with both joy and sadness; joy that his beloved daughter would attain her goal, but sadness
at losing her at the same time. He made all the wedding preparations and arranged for Andal's journey in a palanquin to Srirangam.

SriRangam Temple Gopuram

Andal waited with excited anticipation as the wedding party approached Lord Ranganatha's shrine. As they entered the temple, she jumped out of the palanquin, unable to restrain herself any longer. Running into the temple sanctum, she embraced Lord Ranganatha and disappeared in a blaze of glory, having joined her Lord. She was only fifteen at the time. 


                             Translation of the Thiruvaimozhi Paasuram sung in the below link


                                                Andal's Imploration - Click here to Listen :)

In the desire to have the darSanam of the lotus feet of my Lord who resides in SrI villiputtUr with its abundance of the gentle-walking annam birds playing all over, my two beautiful fish-shaped eyes are fighting with each other and refuse to close for sleep. Oh cuckoo! Please warble sweetly so that the perumAn who measured all the worlds will come here. If you do that for me, I will let you be friends with my beautiful pet parrot who has been brought up by me with great care and affection, by being fed delicious food and sweet milk.










                  My visit to Sri Villiputhur - birthplace of Goddess Andal yet again ( thanks to dad ) this weekend and the occasion of Krishna Jayanthi happening today ie. the birthday of Lord Krishna prompted me to write this post. Below is a picture taken at Sri Villiputtur Koyil Pravaham(temple premises). The painting on the wall is that of Lord Ranganatha. 

Reading and learning the life history of Andal and her pure love for god makes me reverberate on the meaning of love . These lines on genuine love from the book "The Road Less Traveled" by M.Scott Peck come to my mind at this point.

When I genuinely love I am extending myself, and when I am extending myself I am growing. The more I love, the longer I love, the larger I become. Genuine love is self-replenishing. The more I nurture the spiritual growth of others, the more my own spiritual growth is nurtured. I am a totally selfish human being. I never do something for somebody else but that I do it for myself.And as I grow through love, so grows my joy, even more present, even more constant. As John Denver sings:

Love is everywhere, I see it.

You are all that you can be, go on and be it.

Life is perfect, I believe it.

Come and play the game with me. 

Ending this post with a birthday wish to Lord Krishna on his birthday today ..

Happy birthday Krishna ! Hope you had a blast ;)          
                                                - As Always 
                                                 Love Vidya ....